What's all this fuss about?

Latin lyrics in Heavy Metal music are a common phenomenon. The darker the music, the more evil the band wanna be. What's better than using an old, mysterious, hardly understandable, cryptic, medieval and therefore almost satanic language? Unfortunately bands seldom know how to use this language properly. So, instead of evoking the demons of the realm of evil, they just evoke a hop-frog. Clatu verata nicto! - The most of you know what happened after this wrongly spoken spell.

Normally, two questions are the result of the fact that you've just read a latin phrase:
- What does it mean? (almost everybody)
- Is it correct? (just a few latin aficionados)

This page doesn't want to make fun of mistakes in latin lyrics. I wanna answer the first question to everybody who is interested. The second question is just for myself or for the two or three weird guys out there or for bands which are thinking about using a latin phrase as well. You can contact me if you want.

Sonntag, 12. Januar 2020

Swallow the Sun - Lumina Aurea

Swallow the Sun - Lumina Aurea (2018)

As you surely know, this EP contains a single song in which guitarist and band leader Juha Raivio comes to terms with the death of his girlfriend. She died of cancer in 2016. It's therefore a very dark and ambient track. Latin Gregorian chants and latin lyrics - spoken and sung by Marco Benevento (The Foreshadowing) - play an important role.

The song reminds me of old myths in which dead bodies can/ has to cross a river in order to reach the underworld or the promised land. In ancient Greece mythology this river was called Styx, the ferryman's name was Charon and the underworld was called Hades). But there are other legends as well, I think the great CD "Saivo" by Tenhi deals with this topic as well. The cover also shows a boat and mysterious figures.

*** edit ***
Recently, I've got some help from a cool guy who sent me the lyrics (as you can see in the comment section). So let's see what I've got and let's fill the gaps:

The motto which is shown at the end of the video is 
mors fortior quam vita est, - death is more powerful than life,
amor fortior quam mors est. - love is more powerful than death.


Lumina aurea - golden lights ("lumen" is not only "light", but also the ability to see and the energy/light that shines as long as you live)

[2:02]
Gregorian chants start, which I don't understand

[2:24] 
illic ubi olim meum cor erat - there, where once my heart was
in abysso lacrimarum acrium- in the abyss of bitter tears
saxum iacet illic - a stone lies there.

[2:40]
unde tenebrae numquam possunt excedere - from where darkness never can leave
nec iam lux penetrat. - and no light never penetrates.
omniaque requiro - (not sure) and I ask for/ demand everything
in me imprimuntur - (not sure) in me they are imprinted/ engraved
sidus argenteum matutini - the silver star of the morning
omnia in me signata sunt
- everything in me is sealed


[3:30]
Ferte mihi capita daemonum omnium - Bring me the heads of all the demons,
Quae feram ubi vere tenebris sunt- which I'll carry where really darkness is.
vos non timeo, - I'm not afraid of you,
nam vos iam persaepe vidi - for I have very often seen you

ac vos nihil eratis ad alam nigram et cor albumand you've been nothing to the black wing and the white heart -
(this construction I don't understand. If "eratis - you were, you've been" is correct, then the direction "ad alam - to(wards) the wing" doesn't fit well; if "erratis - you err, you've erred" is correct, then "nihil - nothing" doesn't fit well)

te procul ab pseudoprophetis - You, far away from false prophets
quorum verba cava sunt - whose words are inane
per cor meum per has portas nocte - through my heart, through these doors in the night
portavi te donec lacerti vacui -You I've carried
donec lacerti vacui te requisiverunt - until the empty muscles required you (?)

te ademptus et ereptus sum - I'm snatched and carried away from you
nunc denique omnia templa combusta sunt - now finally all temples are burned down
incensa procellis et noctis tenebris - set on fire by attacks an by the darkness of the night

[5:22]
de nebulis in terram cecidimus - Out of the fog we fell to earth.
abiecti longe Eva atque homo - Eve and the Man (are) put down far away
de illis spei turribus ardentibus - from there burning towers of hope
qui portus erant usque ad spiritum extremum - which were the harbours until my last breath.

[6:01]
Gregorian chants which I again don't understand

[7:02]
Nunc et usque ad horam ultimam temporum te confidebam, - Now and until the last hour of times I've trust you
et te semper confidam.
- and I'll always trust you.

[8:10]
Te per illud flumen nigrum secutus sum - Through this black river I followed you
Quod fluit usque ad fines terrae - which flows to the end of the world
Sulcos aquae aureos sequens - following the golden furrows of water,
Qui e primis digitis tuis effundunt. - which rise from your finger tips.

[10:07]
canite mihi, daemones - Sing for me, deamons,
nam vos non timeo. - because I don't fear you.
Gladios vestros cepi - I grabbed your swords
et vos mihi submittitis et luci eius - and you bowed to my will and to her light.
Etiam redis ad meos amores, sidus aureum - Also you, silver star, return to my love

[11:10]
Armor, deorsum per flumen - The weapon, going down through the river,
ita puncto tempore - so at one moment,
ut lux pulchritudinis tuae - like the light of your beauty
domum tristem illuminat. - illuminates the sad house.
Iam lacerti vacui mei te requirunt, - My empty muscles already require you,
donec iterum conveniemus - until we'll meet again
in insulam, meus amor, in insulam - to the island, my love, to the island.

Interim ut Eva et homo longe abicierum - Meanwhile, like Eve and the man, put down far away (the form "abicierum" isn't a correct one)
in itinerem aureum te sequor, meus amor - on the golden way I follow you, my love,
in itinerem aurem per aquas nigras - on the golden way through black waters
vectus imagine illarum avium noctivagarum - driven by the image of those night birds
in itinerem aurem, meus amor. - on the golden way, my love.
(last comment on the grammar: "in itinerem" is wrong, because "iter - the way" has a neutral gender, therefor the accusative is also "iter". Also, I would have build the sencence differently: "to follow" has two additional informations: "whom?" and "when/ where/ where to"? First, "te sequor - I follow you" is correct. "in iter aureum" indicates the destination: "towards the golden way/ path". To say "iter aureum sequor - I follow the golden path" would be correct as well. But here, the author combines two accusative objects - this is what I doubt. I would prefer the ablative "in itinere aureo" to express the way/ method on which or with which he follows her.)
In general, this is a beautiful and fine written text and also a very sad and personal one. All I wanna say is:

Cara Aleah, ubicumque requiescis, velim requiescas in pace. Terra tibi levis sit et levia sint cordia eorum qui te amaverunt et amabunt. Luctus et maestitia numquam cor amantium tam fortiter tenere possunt quam manus hominis qui vere sentit. Cara Aleah, montes et terrae et pratia et flumina tibi aurea sint! Serena diem exspectes in quo die tu et amor tuus coniuncti eritis!

1 Kommentar:

Unknown hat gesagt…

Hi. Ich habe die EP gekauft, darin ist der Text abgedruckt, da mich eine Übersetzung des Textes sehr interessiert tippe ich ihn hier mal ab:

Lumina aurea

Illic, ubi olim meum cor erat
in abysso lacrimarum acrium,
saxum iacet, illic,
unde tenebrae numquam possunt excedere,
nec iam lux penetrat.
Sidus arenteum matutini. Omnia in me signata sunt.

Ferte mihi capita deaemonum omnium,
quae feram ubi verae tenebrae sunt.
Vos non timeo, nam vos iam persepae vidi.
Ac vos nihil eratis ad alam nigram et cor album.

Te procul a pseudoprophetis, quorum verba cava sunt,
per cor meum, per has portas nocte
portavi te, donec lacerti vacui te requisiverunt.
Te ademptus et ereptus sum,
nun denIqeu omnia templa combusta sunt,
incensa procellis et noctis tenebris
De nebulis in terram occidimus,
Abiecti longe Eva atque homo
De illis spei turribus ardentibus,

Qui portus erant usque ad spiritum extremum.
Nunc et usque ad horam ultimam temporum te confidebam,
et te semper condifam.
Te per illud flumen nigrum secutus sum,
quod fluit usque ad fines terrae, sulcos aquae aureos sequens,
qui e primis digitis tuis effundunt.

Canite mihi, daemones, nam vos non timeo.
Gladios vestros cepi et vos mihi submittitis, et luci eius,
etiam redis ad meos amores, sidus aureum.

Armor, deorsum per flumen,
ita puncto tempore,
ut lux pulchritudinis tuae domum tristem illuminat.
Iam lacerti vacui mei te requirunt, donec iterum conveniemus,
in insulam, meus amor, in insulam.
Interim ut Eva et homo longe abicierum.
In itinerem aureum te sequor, meus amor,
in itinerem aureum per aquas nigras,
Vectus imagine illarum avium noctivagarum,
in intinerem aureum, meus amor.

Hoffe ich habe mich nicht vertippt!

Gruß
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